seven west÷ú earners in aç laid on a!was plant inç algeria.ç reported they costedd8 from. martha: he decided it was too important to throw away. >> clean up your messes. don't eat other people's food. 118 don't say please if someone says no. i like that. martha: i luke that too. i like that. he hopes it reaches the book's owner so they can get back together and have a

little rule book. cute idea. bill: see you on the radio in a couple minutes with kilmeade. martha: "happening now" starts right now. see you tomorrow. jenna: showdown over gun control taking center stage at the white house. we're waiting for the president to announce new gun control proposals within the hour. we learned several schoolchildren will join the president and vice president at the event. a move raising some eyebrows among some critics. in moments we bo live to the white house for the latest. first right now, brand new stories and breaking news. jon: new information to bring you in the lance armstrong doping scanned from a cyclist who knew him well. shocking new testimony in the jodi arias murder trial. what the jury is learning from the woman who claims she killed her boyfriend in self-defense. you saw it unfolding live. the dramatic rescue of a woman trapped for hours between two concrete walls. how did she get there?

we may learn the answer "happening now." jon: back to our top story. we're awaiting president obama's new gun control proposals. the president is expected to caller to the most sweeping changes to gun laws in years, if not decades, prompting concerns among supporters of gun rights in this country. good morning to you. i'm jon scott. jenna: i'm sure glad you're not stuck between two walls. that would put a damper on the show. jon: would make it difficult to get here and do the research. jenna: we'll try to get answers on that story. hi, i'm jenna lee. in less than an hour the president will outline his efforts to curb goon violence. he is expected to ask congress to ban military-style assault weapons. many of you have questions exactly what those weapons are. we'll talk a little bit about that in the program. also on the list, suggestion to ban high-capacity magazines as well. the white house also made it clear the president will act

unilaterally where he can to achieve this agenda. this comes in the wake of the massacre at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. a tragedy certainly no one wants repeated. how to prevent that type of scenario from happening again is where the gun control debate really intensifies. let's get to chief white house correspondent ed henry with more on this. ed, we mention ad few innings things. what can we expect to hear this morning from the president? >> reporter: good morning, jenna. you're right. republicans are outraged what they see the president bringing out in a short time here at the white house. some students that wrote him about gun control. they think he is using the kids for political purposes. they are outraged in terms of the president promising unilateral executive action. the white house saying look, in addition to legislative action if congress will not move forward, the president believes this is an you gent priority. this is month ago this week we saw the newtown tragedy. specifically what we can expect is the president pushing for renewal of the assault weapons ban. you will remember that expired in 2004.

some kind of limits on the size of those magazine clips. but also a tighter background checks as well. jay carney yesterday promising this will be a comprehensive approach. >> the president has made clear that he intends to take a comprehensive approach. he is also made clear that there are specific legislative actions that he will continue to call on congress to take, including the assault weapons ban. a measure to ban high-capacity magazine clips including effort to close the big loopholes in the background check system in our country. >> reporter: questions from republicans this morning as well to wait to hear from the president directly to see how much he talks about mental health. how much he talks about a potential crackdowns on violent videogames. also whether or not he is willing to put pressure on hollywood for some of the movies that also seemed to

promote violence and they're wondering whether this will just about be gun control or whether it will be a wider look, jenna. jenna: ed, what can the president do alone without congress and what does he need congress to do with him? talk to us a little bit about that and what are some of the critics saying about the president's actions? >> reporter: certainly executive actions we've seen not just on guns but across the board tend to be more narrow. if you're going to have dramatic reform it is going to take legislative action. you can see the national rifle association already mobilizing. they gained a lot more members. tens of thousands of new members since the newtown tragedy.. they have a knew ad out today hitting the president pretty hard-charging in their words he is an elitist hypocrite, going after the president's daughters knowing they have armed guards at their private school. people at white house believe that is a low blow. republican senator roy blunt made clear you have to make

sure it doesn't go too far. there needs to be a balance. take a listen. >> the senate majority leader said just a day or two ago he didn't think the senate would be voting on gun legislation. that doesn't mean the president has the right by executive order to decide he can go beyond the constitution. >> reporter: remember as well when bill clinton was in the white house in the early '90s he pushed some gun control legislation there was a massive political backlash against democratic members of congress who voted for that in the 1994 midterm elections. what the white house believes may be different this time, not just newtown, but this whole series of tragedies like tucson, aurora, colorado, and newtown having some children killed, they think the political dynamic has changed. we shall see, jenna. jenna: we will see if it sets the tone for the second term of the president which is about to officially begin. back to the white house as news develops. thanks very much. jon: before bringing his proposals to the president the vice president met with

representativesing from the entertainment and videogame industry and other lawmakers attacked hollywood over increasing violence portrayed. so what will the president do? will there be any pushes for changes in the videogame and entertainment industries? chief washington correspondent james rosen live in our d.c. bureau with more on that. do we know yet, whether the obama-biden proposals, james, contain anything as far as hollywood and the gaming industry are concerned? >> reporter: we don't, jon. even executives at the major trade associations for these industries they have not seen advance copies of what the president and the vice president are rolling out just in a little time from now later this hour but it is broadly expected that the white house proposals will only include recommendations, not new proposed statutes with compulsory mandates where movies, tv shows and videogames are concerned. an expert on the psychology of killing told fox news shortly after newtown that videogames are undeniably part of the problem. >> videogames are addictive.

they're seductive. they create sleep deprivation. sleep deprivation is factor in mental illness, depression an suicide. videogames are major factor in suicides. we see it in our military report are the the gaming industry is prepared to think anew about this issue and claims to have better record than hollywood does insuring adult-rated projects are not consumed by underaged kids. jon: there are fractures and splits in the post-newtown era in groups supposedly in solidarity with one another. >> reporter: that's true. liberals for taking a aggressive action against gun violence might doing something of violence and tv shows and backers of aclu and fry speech rights and defenders of hollywood in general. quentin tarantino who made a slew of violent movies angerly this week refused to answer his products like "pulp fiction" and "kill

bill" and "kill bill 2" could be contributing to proliferation of mass shootings. in the past tarantino said shakespeare faced similar criticism. speaking with greta van susteren last night one of the actresses says the fault lies not with the stars. >> i think we need to be responsible for that as americans in general. if we don't buy the tickets for these violent movies, if we don't buy these videogames for our children, they won't make them. it is really as simple as that. so we kind of all have an obligation as americans and i certainly think hollywood has an obligation. >> reporter: hollywood is bracing for these proposals as well. it is prepared to go along with certain noncompulsory steps like taking new studies of problem. jon? jon: studies, okay. james rosen, thank you. jenna: right now house democrats are announcing a new plan to eliminate the debt ceiling, claiming the gop is exploiting the issue for political gain.

doug mckelway is live in washington with more on the democratic plan and the road ahead. hi, doug. >> reporter: hi, jenna. this democratic plan in a nutshell would basically do away with the statute that calls for the debt ceiling in the first place, allowing spending in effect to go up and up and up without the artificial cap that the debt ceiling is indeed. democrats are explaining this in a press conference right now as we speak, so we'll be learning a lot more about it as the day progresses. republicans obviously deeply opposed to this thing, fearful that democrats will indeed use it to allow spending to go up and up. here is senator john barrasso speaking on fox news this morning. >> we have a spending problem in this country. people all across the country know it. they know it in wyoming. families have to balance their budget every year. many states do. we do in wyoming. it is time for the senate and the house and the president to get serious about limiting our spending and specifically the

wasteful spending that continues. >> reporter: earlier this week we heard from house majority whip, minority whip, i should say, steny hoyer, increased revenues, more spending has to be part of any debt ceiling deal. that is a sentiment echoed by the president on numerous occasions since he was reelected. republicans of course in the house are set to go on their retreat this week. their key objective is to find unity. that is the ultimate object tiff for the retreat. without unity and republicans are divided in house they stand no chance of blocking any tax increases that democrats are so intent on. jenna: we'll watch in the weeks to come, doug, thank you. >> reporter: okay. jon: new troubles for boeing's airliners. troubles grounding all the 787s in japan's after one of the jets was forced to make a emergency landing today. dan springer is in seattle with the details on what

happened. none of these planes have crashed, no serious injuries but still a big problem for boeing, huh? >> reporter: that's right. for more perspective, jon, worldwide there are six 787s flying. four of them left to the u.s. or coming to the u.s.. this is not a worldwide panic. this latest incident happened in western japan during a flight on all nippon airways. a warning light came on. a the pilot smelled smoke. it caused a landing early landing but they confirmed there was no fire but a smoke coming from a lithium-ion battery that sits behind the cockpit. looks like another electrical problem for the 787 but not the same battery that caught fire after landing in boston. the passengers and crew all evacuated down the chute. a couple of minor injuries were reported. the chairman of ana apologized to his customers. he ordered all 17 dreamliners to being taken out of service for a safety inspection.

japan airlines followed suit with its seven dreamliners. jon. jon: are these incidents part of the a normal process of working the bugs or kinks out of a new airplane? >> reporter: every airplane has birthing issues. analysts say this is what is happening with boeing. the 787 relies on batteries more power than any others but not only one using lithium-ion battery for its backup power. airbus does the same thing. the recent issues did not stop american airlines from buying 4 dreamliners this week. the current problems could force boeing into design assembly changes which could cost them a lot of money. but for perspective it is important to point out nobody has been seriously hurt or killed on a 787. in fact 2012 was the safest year ever in the aviation industry worldwide. there has not been an accident in the united states in more than three years. it is the safest mode of getting around.

more than 90,000 flights a day. nobody hurt or killed on a 787. jon: very rigorous testing that those air frames go through before anybody lets them fly. dan springer, in seattle, thank you. >> reporter: okay. jon: coming up we'll talk with someone who knows all about the importance of air safety. peter goelz, former director of the national transportation safety board. you want to hear what he has to say next hour. jenna: firefighters are on the scene of an emergency but really no flames anywhere. in fact a person was trapped between the walls. that's where the intense effort to rescue came in. and the one big question remains. as we know, jon, how did she end up there in the first place? how do you fall between two walls?. jon: i have got to find that out. jenna: we'll trying to figure that out for you. we're awaiting new gun proposals from the president. he is set to lay out his plans within the hour. he will need congressional approval. part of it won't though. what could be the political cost if the president goes

at it alone and what do we expect to hear from the president coming up in less than an hour. we'll have that for you on "happening now." [ male announcer ] how do you make america's favorite recipes? just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

jenna: before we get to the next story, remember this could happen to you. maybe? maybe it could happen to you? i'm not sure. it is a dramatic rescue, hours long and ending successfully. we have the picture of a woman trapped in a narrow space between two concrete walls in portland, oregon. firefighters were called to the scene just before 4:00 in the morning local time, spending hours cutting through the concrete parking garage wall to reach the woman. they created as you can see there, some window sized holes for her to get out, after much struggle, there she is. able to get to freedom. it isn't clear, jon, how she ended up there. witnesses say according to some reports she was smoking or walking on the roof of one of the buildings, these are 20 foot walls. good thing she is okay.

jon: weird things happen. weird things happen in the middle of the night i guess. well-put, jon scott. she is all right. jon: good for her. fox news alert. we are waiting for president obama to unveil his new gun control proposals about 40 minutes from now. the president is expected to step to the microphones to outline his plan to reduce gun violence in this country. everyone agrees such atrocities as the massacre at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut should never happen again but the debate over how to prevent another tragedy is dividing americans. talk about it with "washington times" columnist charlie hirt. charlie, i read your column this morning. you have some concerns what you think the president is up to here. >> yeah, indeed. you know, among the proposals that we've heard about come out of the white house, not a single one of them, and this is not really disputable, not a single one of them would have done anything to change what happened in newtown. it is just one of the many,

sort of paradoxes about this whole debate, about this whole effort to go after guns in the wake of this horrible, unspeakable tragedy, that has a lot of people sort of scratching their heads saying, are you actually trying to fix a problem here or are you just trying to look like you're fixing a problem without actually addressing a lot of the really scary, underlying issues that maybe aren't fixed with a new federal law but rather fixed by sort of having a huge national conversation about violent videos, violent movies out of hollywood and, the proper responsible, gun ownership, kind of interesting. we are living under the administration of probably the most liberal president, maybe since fdr and yet you suggest that liberals ought to be outraged and are not by some of what is to come in this announcement 40 minutes from now? >> rightly so under the last

administration liberals were outraged at the signing statements and a lot of the, you know, the efforts by the president bush's administration to sort of coalesce more power into the executive branch and away from the legislative branch. liberals were outraged by that and rightly so and republicans should have actually listened to some of that. we're seeing exact same thing now except to a far greater degree where you even have the senate begging the president to take away its authority to raise the debt ceiling. my goodness, where is the liberal outrage? i don't understand why liberals are not hanging from chandeliers over this sort of unprecedented power grab? and then with all of the talk about guns, i realize they're sort of on a different wave length about guns but the fact that so many of these laws are so difficult to get passed through congress, maybe that ought to tell them something about what the american people actually want, such

as the fact that they don't really want these laws. and, i don't know why liberals don't get up in arms about that. jon: charlie hirt, from "the washington times." we're going to see what kind of outrage there is after the president makes these announcements. >> thanks, jon. jenna: a jury hearing shocking new testimony in the murder trial of a woman who claims she killed her boyfriend in self-defense. what prosecutors say about a voice mail the woman on your screen left the victim hours after he was killed. some new details in the lance armstrong doping scandal. what one of his former teammates is now saying raising new questions how the cyclist got away with so much for so long. we'll talk to one of the former top docs from the world anti-doping agency how this was all carried out. we'll talk about it next. >> i didn't want to go to jail so i chose to tell the truth. he set out to protect his name which meant destroying anybody that crossed his

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jon: now crime headlines we are keeping an eye on. take a look at this man speaking out now, describing who i found a soaking wet five-year-old shivering on a playground in philadelphia. he didn't know there was an amber alert a out for the girl. they are looking for the person who took her on monday. a voice mail left on a phone hours after he was brutally murdered. prosecutors say the woman was trying to cover her tracks. she said she killed him in self-defense. badly manning wabad bradley manning washington arrested for

leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to wikileaks. jenna: a lot of new information in the lance amstrong doping scandal. he reportedly told oprah he did this all to win. the interview to air tomorrow. we'll see all the specifics then. lance amstrong reportedly made a few offers to the federal government which have been rejected as inadequate. one of his former teammates is speak being out saying in an interview that armstrong took part in blood doping. that's when a writer infusess a bag of fresh blood during a race to beat exhaustion. take a listen. >> doping definitely head him. a lot of people say, okay, everybody is doping so it's a level playing field, but that is not true. doping took a lot of money, it took a risk taker, it took a lot of having connections. and a lot of people just weren't willing to take all those risks. a lot of people didn't have that money. blood doping, for example, took a lot of money, a lot of

details, it took a possible see of sophisticated know what they are doing kind of people. and lance had that. jenna: we have great guests with us today. gary wadler is the former chairman of the anti-doping agency prohibited list. these are the guys that say this is not allowed. and jeff lanza is a special agent with the f.b.i. welcome to you both today. there are so many questions about this story. i'd like to start with you dr. wadler. everybody is asking the question, why is lance armstrong coming out now. if this is all true how did he do it? doctor, how would he have done all of this. >> there are a variety of substances we check for whether it's epo, blood transfusions, stimulants, growth hormone, anabolic steroids and we look at all these things, and there are ways unfortunately to try and circumvent the process one of which is not to be around when a

drug tester is knocking on your door. jenna: sure. >> we have got even very good at the science of this. it's not perfect, and i think one of the reasons that this is coming out is because it's obvious that it's not perfect, but it's good enough to catch people. lance armstrong has been caught. jenna: a quick follow-up to this, since you were working with this agency since 1999, did you have any indication, i mean did you feel like you had information that was for sure that he was doing this. and just couldn't peg it on him? what was it like inside the agency? well, we really don't get involved in our committee as to the various case ed casess that are being prosecuted. we are more involved with what constitutes a doping offense. a doping offense does not necessarily mean a positive drug terbgs it can be other violations of the process with the same sanctions. jenna: a quick final question to

the doctor then i want you to weigh into this as well. based on what you no about the races and what kind of substances might be used, how many people would it take to elude these types of tests. >> it's a rather complex business. it's sophisticated. the number of people i don't know, but clearly it's not an individual racer doing it unto himself. it requires a team effort, it's fairly complex science and it's very dangerous. the first recorded death of doping was in the world of cycling back in the 60s from amphetamines. there is a long history of this. it's a dangerous thing and people should be cognizant of it and should not do it legally, but because of their health as well. jenna: that is no interesting. that is interesting confection for us. jeff, we wanted to talk to you because the f.b.i. has been involved somewhat in this case when it came to witness tampering. lance armstrong allegedly was engaging in that, that case later petered out. based on what the doctor just

told you as an investigator, as a retired f.b.i. special agent, where would you go to figure out how all of this happened? is there a place for the f.b.i. here? >> well, absolutely. i mean in terms of any type of witness tampering they can go to the people that he supposedly tampered with and talk to them and see what type of kaob pwraeugt evidence they can find. in terms of the doping and all those allegations we are going to hear about that apparently from lance himself, and supposedly he's going to be talking about all those things. we need more than a, i'm sorry, a mea culpa from him. he needs to tell people you shouldn't have to cheat to win and 99% of the people who look up to athletes like lance armstrong are not going to be com competing in sports. they will be working in offices. the stakes are much higher than some guys in tight shorts riding

through the hills of france. he needs to say, this is not how we should be acting. jenna: based on your expertise how much of an euplt impact will that have? how will one know if he's telling the truth. >> we have 11 other people on the postal service team including the director. if lance armstrong he decide to tell us what happened and it's consistent with what happened, we can conclude that's the truth. jenna: criminal charges on this at all? >> i don't know about criminal charges regarding the doping if that's what's happened. if he's tampering with a federal witness, there are some stories today that maybe he's offered cooperation to the f.b.i. if he's the top fish they are going after they are not going to want cooperation, not at least in the early stages of the investigation. so it may be the tampering that they are looking at more than anything else. jenna: we will certainly learn moreover the next several days. a lot happening tomorrow with the interview along with some other legal deadlines we'll get

into. great to have you both with us today. thank you very much. jon: we are awaiting a news conference from president obama learning about his plans for sweeping new gun control laws ahead.

jon: fox news alert now out of algeria where a group of militants linked to al-qaida claims it has taken 41 people hostage, seven of them americans. greg palkot is keeping an eye on that. he has the latest from london.

>> reporter: hey, jon that is the claim. let's take a look at it. it could indeed be the first deadly fallout from the french action against islamists in mali. let's put it all in perspective for you. first of all this is mali in west africa where french troops are going off islamist rebels. this is the outfit they are going after, al-qaida and the islamist maghreb. this is what we're focusing on in the past couple of hours. algeria, apparently islamist militants linked to al-qaida came over from libya and hit a natural gas field run by the bp company there in algeria, and then the result is this. these numbers are fluid. as many as fe two foreigners reported to be killed. eight foreigners kidnapped. and the new claim that we are looking at is as many as 41 foreigners taken hostage, as many as seven americans, this

only coming from the islamists reporting to one of the media agencies in africa. absolutely no confirmation of that. at most times at that site there are only 20 foreigners total operating it. that number and the americans absolutely not confirmed. we do know this is own on going situation and the claim is that this is being done because of the operation being run by france against the militants in mali. let's take a look at that a little more closely too, because there is ground combat action right now that we are hearing from the french government. the number of french troops on the ground now is about 800 going up to 2500. they are moving out from the capitol up to a place called deopoli. that is where the rebels be face and it is face-to-face. france is asking for u.s. help. they have said they will help with transport, refueling. that could be fueling the anti-western attitude among islamists in africa, perhaps

fueling this activity in algeria. again, jon the claim is 41 foreigners taken hostage, as many as seven americans, but absolutely no confirmation of that. we hope, as we work it those numbers come down quite a bit. jon: sound like a serious situation no matter what the numbers are. greg palkot keep an eye on it for us, thanks. jenna: we move on to the fox news alert, minutes from now the president will announce his gun control proposals at the white house. we'll of course bring you there live as that happens. in the meantime, the state of new york just became the first state to approve a wide-ranging set of new gun control laws in the aftermath of the sandy hook elementary school tragedy. some of the toughest laws in the country now in the state of new york. the democratic governor andrew cuomo signed the legislation into law minutes after the new york assembly gave final approval to the bill and it includes new restrictions on ammunition. new york now defines a large capacity magazine as any that hold more h-p more than tkefpb

seven rounds, down from ten. they are required to do a background check before selling ammunition and they are required to buy ammunition from a licensed dealer. let's bring in eric pratt director of communications for gun owners of america. and gloria haz, a coalition to stop gun violence. welcome to you both. it's a big day today with the president making some of these new proposals. we look at new york as potentially what could come nationwide. i'd like to bring us back to the reason why we are having this conversation today, which is to prevent another type of shooting like we saw in newtown, connecticut. the big question is, will any of these proposals that we're hearing about prevent that from happening again? lori, what are your thoughts on that? >> absolutely. it's been proven that when states have strong and responsible gun laws they save lives. their death rate among their

citizenry is much, much lower than those states that have weaker and more lax laws. these laws are aimed at preventing gun violence in our communities. the day-to-day gun violence, as well as those tragic mass hoot inks and we need these laws. jenna: eric, your thoughts? >> we can go proposal by proposal there in new york. none of the things that they just enacted would have stopped adam lanza from killing a victim and then stealing those tphaoeurpls and using them in the horrific crime. you're absolutely right, we all want to prevent this type of thing from happening again. sadly new york is not doing the one thing that really would help, that is what 85% of the american people support, it's allowing armed teachers or principals to be able to protect themselves and the students from these wackos, these evil-intended people. we can pass all the laws we want, we are not going to legislate the evil in their hearts. jenna: in your organization,

eric, one of your colleagues, mike cannon, one of the lawyers for your organization had this to way to the "wall street journal" today when he was asked to react to any of the ideas he's heard from washington d.c. when it comes to new gun control. he says it's all bad, it all has to stop. are you equally as rigid or do you see room for improvement when it comes to gun laws in this country? >> all of these proposals assume that there is a legitimate role in restricting the law abiding rights, the god given rights that americans have to defend themselves that are protected in the second amendment. none of these proposals would work to actually stop bad guys, again like lanza from getting a gun. and we are not really dealing with the real issue. nobody, i don't care how antigun you are and i doubt even lori would do this. put a sign in front of her home saying there are no guns in this home, because that just becomes -- jenna: is that a suggestion that you should take those signs

down? are you drawing an absolute line that there is nothing more to be done? >> well, that's what needs to be done. congressman steve stockman has introduced a bill to repeal the gun-free school zone toss get rid of that school zone loophole where people can carry basically all over the country except at places of work like a school where they fear prosecution, and that's what -- jenna: eric is calling this a loophole, lori where people know that they can come into the school grounds and that they are not going to meet anyone that is armed. the argument there is that we are leaving our children really open and defenseless. what do you think about that? >> i disagree with the gentleman. here is the thing. americans do not want to live in an armed society. we do not want a gun machine at every corpse, every church, every movie theater, frankly every school. we do not need this. we would like to live in a gun violence-free world, and arming more and more people is not the solution. americans are with us on that. they want their children in a classroom with a teacher

engaging in the reason they are there, education. we should not ask our teachers to be armed. they have come out against this in a multitude of venues. i find it just almost ludicrous that the answer to gun violence is more guns, that is not the solution that the american people want, and we, frankly, you know, deserve to live in communities that are gun violence-free. jenna: eric, quick final thought? >> the polls just don't bear that out. gallop showed last month that more americans want armed teachers and principals than want gun restrictions. even the chiefs of police that have been polled and surveyed on this. 79% of them think that people should be able to carry firearms concealed. so it's just not true to say that the american people don't want this. we live in a culture -- jenna: as a journalist i can say a lot of numbers deserve a lot more context than we can provide for them today. >> can i mention one thing.

the gallop poll was proven to be ineffective and categorically wrong in a number of areas in the fall elections. i'm not sure we want to rely on a gallop poll. i think we need tow rely on the feelings of americans. jenna: we come back to where we started, where we began, which is what will actually keep our children safe. that will be a big question as we hear the president's proposals today. eric and lori it's great to have you with us. thank you. >> thank you for having me. jon: very, very good debate. if you have thoughts on that you'll want to stay with us. minutes away now from a major event apartment the white house as the president gets ready to tell the nation how he propose toes clampdown on gun violence. new details on two separate school shootings as well. where shots were fired just the day before the president announces his plans. look at the dow, down 27 points right now on this wednesday

morning. not a lot happening on wall street. we'll keep and eye on that for you throughout the day as well here on "happening now."

jenna: moments away from the president announcing his gun control proposals. we are getting new information about two school shootings. in missouri police say a student shot an administrator and turned the gun on himself. in kentucky a gunman killed two people and wounded a third. mike tobin is live in chicago with more on all of this. mike. >> reporter: jenna, the first one really has all the markings of a domestic dispute that spilled out into the parking lot of the college therefore separating it from what sadly we have come to know what we start talking about the terms of school shootings. one of the diseased had a child in common about the accused gunman, a 21-year-old. the other deceased victim a 53-year-old is related. there is a third unidentified victim a young teenager who survived this initial shooting.

police say the school parking lot is the location they chose to exchange the child they had in common for visitation and that is where the gunfire broke out. what is interesting, though, and probably sad, is that the school had a plan in place for a shooting, and according to the president of the college that plan was executed. >> i thanked all of our students and faculty that were in the building for the way that they handled themselves much. they went to a secured place in the building. the building was locked immediately, and everything worked as we had planned. >> reporter: the shooter in this case turned himself in to kentucky state police, jenna. jenna: as you mentioned, mike potentially a domestic dispute there. yesterday another shooting at a school in the midwest? >> reporter: this time again it does not appear to be indiscriminate ladies and gentlemen rage. there was a target of this shooting. it happened at the stevens institute of business and arts. according to police an on again, off again student walked into the office of an administrator

and shot him in the chest. apparently the dispute was over financing for school. according to police again the gunman walked into a stairwell of the university, turned the gun on himself, shot himself in the chest, they both initially survived the shooting and are being treated in the hospital. it should be noted that the gunman in this case had a history of violence, had a criminal record, and was required to be on medication. his lawyer told me this morning when he was on his medication he was a productive member of society, jenna. jenna: mike tobin live for us in chicago on those shootings. mike, thank you. >> reporter: you got it. jon: fox news alert, this is going to be one of the major events of the woke, maybe of the yearngton, the showdown over gun control taking center stage at the white house right now. those four children, we are to understand, wrote letters to the president about their feelings on gun control. as a result they have been invited to the white house to hear this presentation from the

president. ed henry is there. let's go to ed. >> right in front of those children you see there is a table with the presidential seat. it has pens and papers. we expect the president may be signing executive actions in addition to urging lawmakers who are in the room by the way, i see several lawmakers here urging them to get moving on gun control legislation on capitol him. i would note i've seen ray kel leave the new york city police commissioner. you see new york state taking action. here is the president now talking. >> please, please be seated. thank you. before i begin today let me say to the families of the innocents who were murdered 33 days ago, our heart -- our heart goes out to you. and you show incredible courage, incredible courage being here, and the president and i are going to do everything in our power to honor the memory of your children and your wives

with the work we take up here today. it's been 33 days since the nation's heart was broken by the horrific, senseless violence that took place at sandy hook elementary school. 20, 20 beautiful first graders gunned down in a place that is supposed to be their second sanctuary. six, six members of the staff killed trying to save those children. it's literally been hard for the nation to comprehend, hard for the nation to fathom, and i know for the families who are here the time is not measured in days, but it's measured in minutes, in second since you received that news. another minute without your daughter, another minute without your son, another minute without your wife, another minute without your mom. i want to personally thank chris

and lin mcdonald who lost a beautiful daughter grace and the other parents who i had a chance to speak to for their suggestions, and for, again, just for the courage of all of you to be here today. i admire -- i admire the grace and the resolve that you all are showing. and i must say i've been deeply affected by your faith as well. and the president and i are going to do everything to try to match the resolve you've demonstrated. no one can know for certain if this senseless act could have been prevented, but we all know we have a moral obligation, a moral obligation to do everything in our power to diminish the prospect that something like this could happen again. as the president knows i've worked in this field a longtime in the united state senate, having chaired a committee that

had jurisdiction over these issues of guns and crime, and having drafted the first gun violence legislation, and the last gun violence legislation i should say. i have no illusions about what we are up against and how hard the task is in front of us, but i also have never seen the nation's conscience so shaken by what happened at sandy hook. the world has changed, and it's demanding action. it's in this context the president asked me to put together, along with cabinet members, a set of recommendations about how we should proceed to meet that moral obligation we have, and toward that end the cabinet members and i sat down with 229 groups, not just individual representing groups. 229 groups from law enforcement agencies to public health officials, to gun officials, to gun advocacy groups, to sports men and hundred ters and

religious leaders. and i've spoken with members of congress on both sides of the aisle, had extensive conversation with mayors and governors and county officials, and the recommendations we provided to the president on monday call for executive actions he could sign, legislation he could call for, and long-term research that should be undertaken. they are based on the emerging consensus we heard from all the groups with whom we spoke, including some of you who were the victims of this god awful occurrence. ways to keep guns out of the wrong hands, as well as ways to take comprehensive action to prevent violence in the first place. we should do as much as we can and as quickly as we can, and we cannot left the perfect be the enemy of the good. some of what you'll hear from the president will happen immediately, some will take some time, but we have begun and we are starting here today and we resolve to continue this fight. during the meetings that we held we met with a young man who is here today, i think colin

goddard is here, where are you, colstpheupb he was one o colin? he was one of the survivors of the virginia tech massacre, he was in the classroom. he calls himself one of the lucky seven, and he'll tell you, he was shot four times on that day, and he has three bullets that are still inside him. and when i asked colin about what he thought we should be doing he said that -- he said i'm not here because of what happened to me, i'm here because of what happened to me keeps happening to other people, and we have to do something about it. colin, we will. colin, i promise you we will. this is our intention. we must do what we can now, and there is no person who is more committed to acting on this moral obligation we have and the president of the united states of america. ladies and gentlemen, president barack obama.

[applause] >> thank you. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you everybody. please have a seat. good afternoon, everybody. let me begin my thanking our vice president joe biden for your dedication, joe, to this issue, for bringing so many different voices to the table, because while reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a devisive one. over the month since the tragedy in newtown we've heard from so many, and obviously none have affected us more than the families of those gorgeous children and their teachers and guardians who were lost, and so we are grateful to all of you for taking the time to be here

and recognizing that we honor their memories in part by doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. but we also heard from some unexpected people, in particular i started getting a lot of letters from kids. four of them are here today, grant fritz, julia stokes, hina zeha. and taja good. they are pretty representative of some of the messages that i got. these are some pretty smart letters from some pretty smart young people. hina, a third grader. you can go ahead and wave, hina, that's you. she wrote, i feel terrible for the parents who lost their children. i love my country, and i want everybody to be happy and safe.

and then grant, go ahead and wave, grant. grant said, i think there should be some changes. we should learn from what happened at sandy hook. i feel really bad. and then julia said, julia, where are you? there you go. i'm not scared for my safety, i'm scared for others. i have four brothers and sisters and i know i would not be able to bear the thought of losing any of them. these are our kids. this is what they are thinking about. and so what we should be thinking about is our responsibility to care for them and shield them from harm, and give them the tools they need to grow up and do everything that they are capable of doing, not just to pursue their own dreams, but to help build this country.

this is our first task as a society, keeping our children safe. this is how we will be judged. and their voices should compel us to change. that's why last month i asked joe to lead an effort, along with members of my cabinet, to come up with some concrete steps we can take right now to keep our children safe, to help prevent mass shootings, to reduce the broader epidemic of gun violence in this country. and we can't put this off any longer. just last thursday, as tv networks were covering one of joe's meetings on this topic news broke of another school shooting, this one in california. in the month since 20 precious children and six brave adults were violently taken from us at

sandy hook elementary more than 900 of our fellow americans have reportedly died at the end of a gun. 900 in the past month. and every day we wait that number will keep growing. so, i'm putting forward a specific set of proposals, based on the work of joe's task force, and in the days ahead i intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality. because why there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of evil, if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this

violence, if there is even one life that can be saved, then we've got an obligation to try it. and i'm going to do my part. as soon as i'm finished speaking here i will sit at that desk and i will sign a directive giving law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals and the public health community some of the tools they need to help reduce gun violence. we will make it easier to keep guns out of the hands of criminals by strengthening the background check system. we will help schools hire morey source officers, if they want them, and develop emergency preparedness plans. we will make sure mental health professionals know their options for reporting threats of violence, even as we acknowledge that someone with a mental illness is far more likely to be a victim of violent crime than the perpetrator. and while year after year those

who oppose even modest gun safety measures have threatened to defund scientific or medical research into the causes of gun violence, i will direct the centers for disease control to go ahead and study the best ways to reduce it. and congress should fund research r- affects that violent video games have on young minds. we don't benefit from ignorance. we don't benefit from not nothin knowing the science of this epidemic of violence. these are a few of the 23 executive actions that i'm announcing today, but as important as these steps are, they are in no way a substitute for action from members of congress. to make a real and lasting difference congress too must act. and congress must act soon. and i'm calling on congress to pass some very specific

proposals right away. first, it's time for congress to require a universal background check for anyone trying to buy a gun. [applause] >> the law already requires licensed gun dealers to run background checks and over the last 14 years that's kept 1.5 million of the wrong people from getting their hands-on a gun. but it's hard to enforce that law when as many as 40% of all gun purchases are conducted without a background check. that's not safe, that's not smart, that's not fair to responsible gun buyers or sellers. if you want to buy a gun, whether it's from a licensed dealer, or a private seller, you should at least have to show you are not a felon, or somebody legally prohibited from buying

one. this is common-sense. and an overwhelming majority of americans agree with us on the need for universal background checks, including more than 70% of the national rifle association's members according to one survey. so there is no reason we can't do this. secondly, congress should restore a ban on military-style assault weapons and a ten-round limit for magazines. [applause] >> the type of assault rifle used in aurora, for example, when paired with high capacity magazines has one purpose, to pump out as many bullets as possible as quickly as possible. to do as much damage using bullets often designed int to inflict maximum mum damage. that's what allowed the gunman in aurora to shoot 70 people,

killing 12 in a matter of minutes. weapons designed for the theater of war have no place in a movie theater. a majority of americans agree with us on this. and by the way, so did ronald reagan, one of the staunchess defenders of the second amendment who wrote to congress in 1994 urging them, this is ronald reagan speaking, urging them to listen to the american public and to the law enforcement community and support a ban on the further manufacture of military-style assault weapons. [applause] >> finally, congress needs to help rather than hinder law enforcement as it does its job. we should get tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning around and selling them to criminals. and we should severely punish anybody who helps them do this.

since congress hasn't confirmed a director of the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms in six years, they should confirm todd jones who will be -- who has been acting and i will be nominating for the post. [applause] >> and at a time when budget cuts are forcing many communities to reduce their police force we should put more cops back on the job, and back on our streets. let me be absolutely clear. like most americans i believe the second amendment guarantees an individual a right to bear arms. i respect our strong tradition of gun ownership, and the rights of hunters and sports men. there are millions of responsible, law abiding gun owners in america who cherish the right to bear arms for

hunting, or sport, or protection, or collection. i also believe most gun owners agree that we can respect the second amendment while keeping an irresponsible-law breaking few from inflicting harm on a massive scale. i believe most of them agree that if america worked harder to keep guns out of the hand of dangerous people there would be fewer atrocities like the one that occurred in newtown. that's what these reforms are designed to do. they are common-sense measures. they have the support of the majority of the american people. and yet that doesn't mean any of this is going to be easy to enact or implement. if it were we'd already have universal background checks. the ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines never would have been allowed to fellow americans might still be alive celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and

graduations. this will be difficult. there will be pundits and politicians, and special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical all out assault on liberty, not because that's true, but because they want to gin up fear or higher ratings or revenue for themselves. and behind the scenes they'll do everything they can to block any common-sense reform and make sure nothing changes whatsoever. the only way we will be able to change is if their audience, their constituents, their membership says, this time must be different. ithis time we must do something to protect our communities and our kids. i will put everything i've got into this and so will joe, but i

tell you, the only way we can change is if the american people demand it. and by the way, that doesn't just mean from certain parts of the country. we are going to need voices in those areas, in those congressional district where the tradition of gun ownership is strong to speak up and to say this is important. it can't just be the usual suspects. we have to examine ourselves and our hearts. and ask ourselves what is important. this will not happen unless the american people demand it. if parents and teachers, police officers, and pastors, if hunters and sports men, if responsible gun owners, if americans of every background stand up and say, enough, we've

suffered too much pain and cared too much about our children to allow this to continue, then change will come. that's what it's going to take. you know, in the letter that julia wrote me she said, i know that laws have to be passed by congress, but i beg you to try very hardly. [laughter] >> julia, i will try very hard. but she's right, the most important changes we can make depend on congressional action. they need to bring these proposals up for a vote, and the american people need to make sure that they do. get them on record. ask your member of congress if they support universal background checks to keep guns out of the wrong hands. ask if they support a renewal of

a ban on military-style weapons and high capacity magazines. and if they say no, ask them why not? why ask them what is more important, doing whatever it takes to get an a grade from the gun lobby that fund their campaigns, or giving parents some peace of mind when they drop their child off for first grade? [applause] >> this is the land of the free, and it always will be. as americans we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights that no man or government can take away from us. but we've also long recognized, as our founders recognized, that with rights come responsibilities. along with our freedom to live our hroeufs as w lives as we

will comes an obligation to allow others to do the same. we don't live in isolation. we live in a society. a government of, and by, and for the people. we are responsible for each other. the right to worship freely and safely, that right was denied to sheiks in oak creek wisconsin. the right to assemble peaceably. that right was denied shoppers in oregon, and moviegoers in aurora, colorado. that most fundamental set of rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, fundamental rights that were denied to college students at virginia tech, and high school students at columbine, and elementary school students in newtown, and kids on street corners in chicago on too

frequent a basis to tolerate, and all the families who never imagined that they'd lose a loved one to a bullet, those rights are at stake. we are responsible. and when i visited newtown last month i spent some private time with many of the families who lost their children that day, and one was the family of grace mcdonnell. grace's parents are here. grace was 7 years old when she was struck down, just a gorgeous, caring, joyful little girl. i'm told she loved pink, she loved the beach, she dreamed of becoming a painter, and so just before i left chris, her father

gave me one of her paintings. and i hung it in my private study just off the oval office. and every time i look at that painting i think about grace. and i think about the life that she lived, and the life that lay ahead of her, and most of all i think about how when it comes to protect being the most vulnerable among us we must act now for grace, for the 25 other innocent children and devoted educators who had so much left to give. for the men and women in big cities and small towns to fall victims to senseless violence each and every day. for all the americans who are counting on us to keep them safe from harm. let's do the right thing. let's do the right thing for them, and for this country that we love so much. thank you. [applause] >> i'm going to sign these

orders. [applause] jon: president obama now will put pen to paper and sign some of the executive orders that he is issuing in concurrence with this announcement today at the white house. let's talk about it with bret baier the anchor of "special report." bret i was surprised, frankly at how much of this the president through promptly in congress' louisiana. we were expecting to hear about the executive orders that he was going to issue and he didn't talk about that very much. >> he talked about it but with that signature, jon there are 23

specific executive actions he is launching here. they are not all 23 specific executive orders that he's signing, but they are executive actions, and there is a long list of them. he did talk about the push for congressional action, including a sweeping new assault weapons ban. the white house suggesting that they'll support and work with democratic senator dianne feinstein with her legislation for an assault weapons ban, as well as a restriction on the ban on gun magazine of more than ten rounds, the ammunition magazine of more than ten rounds. he's also calling for a universal background check, something that would require congressional legislation as well. but among the executive orders, he's suggesting that he's just signed into action a number of things, including a stiffening

and aggressively prosecuting existing laws on the books to go after people who slip through the cracks on checking different background checks, and going between the existing laws that are on the books, something, frankly, the nra has said that it supports. it also -- it lists among these 23 executive orders, launching a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign, a number of things that are not that -- they are executive actions, but they are not orders per se. it has a number of healthcare issues, mental health, telling the health and human services department to look into the issue of mental health and gun violence. and it also instructs the centers for disease control and prevention to launch a major

effort to study gun violence. that's really the only issue here in the 23 that deals anything with video games or hollywood, is basically launching a study into gun violence. the rest of these 23 have to do with guns specifically, and obviously the push that the president is announcing, a major push that he says his office is going to get behind 100% around the country to make sure this legislation passes. jon: he says he wants to renew the assault weapons ban and institute a ban on magazines that hold more than ten rounds. he's been told even by some democrats on capitol hill that at least the assault weapons ban is not going to pass this congress, right? >> reporter: yes, but he is suggesting with what he's saying here that by his force of this office, by the force of this moment that he believes that he

can impact some of these lawmakers, and that he can sway this vote. he believes by at least this statement today that he can potentially make a difference in this vote. and the question is really for those -- those lawmakers that -- who we heard from, like joe manchin, the senator from west virginia, and other progun lawmakers who came out and said that they might be in favor of some sort of legislation early on. and then we didn't hear from some of them throughout this time. where they stand now, and how senator reid, the senate majority leader stands going forward. jon: that is going to be -- well the devil is in the details as always. bret baier the anchor of special report. i know you'll be on with a great program tonight on all of this. thank you. jenna: a critical deadline is approaching fast, the national credit card about to reach its limit and now democrats apparently want to get rid of

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would totally eliminate the national debt ceiling. that would allow the federal government to borrow as much money as it wants, whenever it wants without congressional approval. this would get around republican attempts to win spending cuts in return for an agreement to actually raise that debt ceiling. well the president won the last battle to raise the ceiling by 2.1 trillion thrarz, tha dollars, that was way back in august of 2011. the nation's debt since then has

risen $47,000 a second approaching the current limit of $16.4 trillion. house democrats say republicans are using the debt ceiling deadline as a means of blackmail, threatening the nation's financial stability. >> the debt limit is an unnecessary legislative hurdle that has proven to be both an ineffective means of controlling deficits, and a danger to this country's standing in the world financial markets. >> we must not permit and artificial debt ceiling to throw the country into default and our economy into chaos and depression, which is exactly what the republicans are threatening to do. jon: some conservative groups warn that removing the limit is a recipe for economic disaster, as we're seeing now in greece. the leaders of heritage action family research council and club for growth writing in an op ed they want congress to balance the budget within ten years and keep it balanced. quote, no american should have to tell an eight-year-old child

that we cannot get our nation's house in order by the time she goes to college. there are many ways to get to a d republicans haved both an obligation to explain what path they will choose. jonah goldberg is editor at large for national review online, he's also a fox news contributor. get rid of the debt ceiling all together? jonah, what do you think about that idea? >> well i don't think it's a disaster if we got rid of the debt ceiling but i'm not in favor of getting rid of the debt ceiling. most countries don't have a debt ceiling. you still need votes from congress to authorize spending. you couldn't just borrow willy nilly anyway. the simple fact is the debt ceiling is the one time in the legislative process where you actually get a bill. everyone having all this contest of whose analogy is right, whether it's a family with a budget, whether it's this. or that, whether it's dining and dashing as the president likes to say. the debt ceiling is the moment you get the credit card bill and it's the only moment. and if you can't have a sort of

reckoning about your spending habits when you see your credit card bill you're never going to have that reckoning. i'm in favor of it. i'm in favor of any speed bumps towards more spending and this is as good as any. jon: the president was talking about it at his news conference the other day. i want to play something that he had to say and get your reaction. >> if congressional republicans refuse to pay america's bills on time, social security checks and veteran's benefits will be delayed. we might not be able to pay our troops, or honor our contracts with small business owners. food inspectors, air traffic controllers, specialists who track down loose nuclear materials won't get their paycheck. investors around the world will ask if the united states of america is in fact a safe bet. markets could go haywire. jon: well the naysayers have pointed out the president is wrong on that, because the treasury is collecting tax

revenue every single day. we'd be able to pay a lot of the bills that he's talking about. >> that's absolutely right. i was watching the clock as you were playing that click, in the time according to your math in the time it took to run that clip we went $1.1 million more in debt. someone else can check my math. the simple fact is all this talk about default and if we don't do this we will default on our debt and all the rest, this is the democratic talking point, this is the democratic -- democratic administration that is using default as a bargaining chip. they are the ones who say if you had put any conditions on what we want to do, in terms of unlimited more borrowing, we are going to default. well that is a condition. to basically say that you're not going to have any kind of strange restraint, you're not going to chain it to gpi. you're simply saying you're going to borrow more with no strings attach that is the white house position and they say if

you don't agree to that we'll default. technically speaking default means not paying your debts. you can prioritize and say, we'll guarantee to pay our debts but we won't pay these other things. that would force some spending discipline. it's the obama administration that is unreasonable in all of this. jon: maybe if we didn't spend congress we'd get some spending discipline. that would be a good idea. jonah goldberg. thank you. jenna: the u.n. begins new talks with iran over its suspected nuclear program. you've heard this before, we know that. one of the questions we are asking is, how will this new year, how will 2013 be different? ambassador john bolton weighs in next. he's laughing. we'll ask him why.

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jon: breaking news on that helicopter crash in london this morning. the chopper hit a construction crane before falling to the street in a ball of flames. two people are dead. more are injured. some of them critically. all happening at the height of rush hour this morning, just steps from the headquarters of britain's spy agency, mi6. amy kellogg is live there. so what happened, amy, and how bad is the damage? >> reporter: jon, well the mayor of london just visited the scene of the crash and said at this point we can not say what caused the crash. there has been a lot of speculation, jon that it may have been due to foggy weather this morning.

that pilot we now know was pete barnes, had asked for a diversionary landing at a nearby airstrip, but, helipad but he crashed before that could happen. one of his colleagues has just spoken out and said that pete barnes in fact was one of the pioneers in this country of eye in the sky. that is something quite common in the u.s. less common here and that pete barnes had been a daring pilot but one who had always observed the utmost safety. had been a todaying and lovely guy who could have auditioned for and gotten a part in any james bond film. someone on the ground was also killed. the identity of that person has not yet been released. eyewitnesses say that the scenes really did look like something out of a war movie when that helicopter burst into a ball of flames upon landing on the streets here on the southwest side of the thames river. boris johnson the mayor, he said he just went to see the

scene. we have not been allowed over there because this investigation is right in the thick of it. and he said that the scenes were so disturbing. he said, you know, there was the wing of the helicopter on top of a roof. there were big pieces of it had fallen on cars which were burned out and the side of a building went up in flames, all of that very quickly extinguished by firefighters in london. mayor johnson said he did not want to be glib for many people are in mourning for the people they lost in this tragic accident but frankly could have been more tragic if that helicopter hit a double-decker bus let's say. this happened in the middle of the city during rush hour. a lot of questions tonight being asked about safety in london. we don't have lots of skyscrapers here but more and more are going up. mayor johnson saying they will be looking very carefully into whether all of that is adequately lit. both cranes and construction sites. he said that for people who are worried this sort of

thing might happen again, he wants to put their minds at ease that this is something never before happened in london in his lifetime and he is hoping that it will never happen again. more measures will be put in place. he said at this point too, it is obvious it was not an act of terror but again, jon, we can't say at this moment exactly what caused it. whether it was weather or whether it was some sort of malfunction of that helicopter, commercial helicopter going from suri to her ford sure in central london. back to you, jon. jon: it could have been a lot worse and fortunately it wasn't. amy, thank you. jenna: well, "happening now", the u.n. kicking off new talks with tehran today in the hopes of getting details about iran's suspected nuclear program. u.n. inspectors are looking to reports tehran carried out a nuclear bomb test. iran's president, mahmoud ahmadinejad going before

performment in iran say sanctions against oil exports are hurting the country and changes need to be made in the economy. he has come under a lot of pressure. john bolton, former ambassador to the u.n. we posed that question before the break how will this year be different than last year? if you look at the story i read to our viewers could almost pick it up last year and be the same thing. how will this year be different to iran and its nuclear program and getting access to what is going on there? >> i don't expect the international atomic energy agency to have much success seeing locations they want to see inside iran until the iranian government thinks that it is cleaned them up sufficiently so they won't be able to detect anything. i think the economic sanctions are going to continue to hurt iran, no doubt about that. but not enough to affect the continuing progress toward nuclear weapon. i think the big unknown, is that we're going to have an

election in inies rail here next week. we will see how that comes out. if the government of prime minister benjamin netanyahu is returned to power as i think most observers believe, israel has a very difficult decision in the next six to nine months whether they will use military force against the iran nuclear weapon. you can count on the obama administration not using it to the spotlight will be on netanyahu. jenna: ironic you brought up prime minister netanyahu because as we were examining this question what is different this year than last. the prime minister made interesting comments from the u.n. a month ago how different 2013 may be not only for israel and iran but for the rest of the world. let's take a listen to that. >> iran has completed the first stage. took them many years but they completed it and they are 70% of the way there.

now they are well into the second stage. and, by next spring, at most, by next summer, at current enrichment rates they will have fin eshed the medium enrichment and move onto the final stage. from there it is only a few months, possibly a few weeks before they get enough enriched-uranium for the first bomb. jenna: based on that timeline, this summer come up in 2013, ambassador. do you see the actions only as we have a nuclear iran, or, israel attacks? >> yes, i think those are basically the two options. you know, actually prime minister netanyahu made it more complicated than it is. based on the reactor grade enriched-uranium that iran now has, i think most experts believe it could take four to six weeks to enrich enough to weapons-grade levels to fashion one weapon. but here's the thing. iran is not in a hurry to

get one weapon real quick. they are building a broad and deep nuclear infrastructure, largely because they think they can. they don't worry about the united states. and i think they believe that at some point the united states will prevent israel from attacking. they have been right on that so far. we'll see in the next six months. i don't know what israel is going to do. i do know that twice before in their history they have struck the nuclear programs of hostile states. and they're going to have to make a decision very, very soon. the obama administration in my view, whether or not chuck hagel is confirmed is not going to use military force. that is why the decision rests with israel. jenna: quick thought as well if we could move quickly to this other story that is breaking as we look at our enemies at work against us in this world. you see al qaeda very active in north africa. we have word they have taken hostages, three americans according to some senior officials in washington, d.c. according to other reports what they want in exchange is for the french government to stop bombing,

a bombing campaign that started recently in this area of mali and hopefully get another map up so you see where the sphere of influence is. ambassador, your quick thoughts what is happening and developing there in this part of the world? >> very little doubt that the hostage-taking in algeria is not a direct result of the french attack in mali. algeria a former french colony. mall mali a former french colony. algeria depending on oil and gas production. having oil and gas workers not safe would have a detrimental effect on algeria's economy. this is intended to put pressure on algeria, put pressure on france and just shows if anybody needed any evidence the war on terror is not over. usama bin laden may be dead but al qaeda has spread throughout north africa, throughout the arabian peninsula. the terrorists are still out there and still after the west. you can try and minimize the consequences but you're just whistling past the graveyard unfortunately.

jenna: this is a story we'll continue to watch. appreciate your perspective as always, ambassador. thank you. >> thank you, jenna. jon: you saw it earlier on "happening now." president unveiling what he calls a $500 million package to launch the most sweeping effort to combat gun violence in the u.s. in nearly 20 years. william la jeunesse has some of the ins and outs at the heart of this heated debate. that's next.

jon: as you heard at the top of the hour the president proposes renewing the ban on assault weapons in the united states. the ban covers more than 20 specific types and would outlaw any weapon with more than one military characteristic. what does that mean? william la have. >> necessary with more from los angeles for us. william. >> reporter: jon, explains why many critics say this proposed ban eliminates weapons what they look like, not because they have a record as prolific crime gun. this gun at the top is legal.

the customized one below with accessories is not under the new assault weapons ban. they're the same gun. they shoot one weapon at a time. some say the term assault weapon something misleading. >> number one myth has to be they're machine guns. they're not machine guns. these are semiauto. meaning, i pull the trigger one time, it goes boom one time. boom, boom, boom. it does not go, like this. >> reporter: the new assault weapons bill bans any gun with more than one military cakic. >> military characteristics would be the telescoping stock, pistol gripe grip. >> reporter: gun ad crow sat -- advocate call that things that don't affect. >> whereas the .223 is going to stop in the first person it shoots. >> reporter: senator dianne

feinstein claims her assault weapons ban targets america's most dangerous guns yet none of the nation's top crime guns are on her list. >> these little guns here, seem to be more of a problem than these guns. so why are they coming after these guns? >> reporter: feinstein's bill also outlaws the thumb hole stock, seen here, high-capacity magazines and button allows users to change them quickly. >> is it more dangerous here or, three, 10-round magazines. 10 times? 10 times. that was pretty slow. and i still, changed out three 10-round magazines in less than 10 seconds. >> reporter: even the justice department said the last assault weapons bandied nothing to reduce gun violence the new bill is much more comprehensive, banning 120 guns including one you saw, quote barbie

doll of weapons, ar-15, number one gun sold in america. most say they buy it for target practice. back to you. jon: william la jeunesse in los angeles. thanks. jenna: it was supposed to be the future of air travel but today an emergency landing is forcing two major airlines to ground their fleet of boeing dreamliners. latest in a string of problems from the 787 fleet we heard so much about. that said, it is not the only new plane to face bumps in the road as it is rolled out. one of the questions we're asking today, how concerned should be to fly on one of these things? more ahead on this when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes.

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jon: well another serious problem forces japan's two largest airlines to ground their fleets of boeing 787 dreamliners.

the pilot of the 787 made an emergency landing after receiving a cockpit message showing battery problems followed by a burning smell. 129 passengers had to use those chutes to get off the dreamliner. shortly after ana, and japan airlines announced all their 787s would undergo safety inspections. this is the latest in a growing list of problems for boeing. last week in the u.s. the faa announced a comprehensive review of the dreamliner after a string of five serious incidents in five days last week. let's talk about with peter goelz, former managing director of the national transportation safety board. it is a brand new airplane. it's a huge component of boeing's future and boeing frankly is a big component of this nation's exports. how big of a problem is this? just teething pains, peter, or something more serious? >> well, i think it its concerning but i don't think it is something that, you know, that is going to rat the company or rattle the

industry. all new aircraft, virtually all, have, as you said, teeth teething problems. the a380, the airbus super-jumbo, was grounded by quantas for almost three weeks shortly after they introduced it for wing crabs. so these kinds of problems need to be addressed. they are being addressed but i don't think it will be a game-changer for boeing. jon: airbus is boeing's biggest competitor. they went with the a380. that is their new generation plane. it is monter rouse, it has double decks and flies hundreds of people. the dreamliner is a different approach. boeing is betting people like more space and more comfort and airlines will like the fuel efficiency of this plane. >> absolutely. the dreamliner is a radically different approach. i mean it is, it is got extraordinary distance and economy. it has got great comfort inside. and it is a radically new

use of avionics and electronics. it is quite a plane and boeing is betting that it is the future of aviation. jon: there aren't many of them flying. i guess there are 50 of them so far that rolled off the assembly lines of the how would you feel about flying on one right now? >> i would love to get on one. i have toured it while it is on the ground but i would love to fly one of the as i say, these are, these are incidents. it's important that the governments, transportation authorities look to try to track it down, but i think we'll see the dreamliner in japan up and flying again in a few short days. i think it is going to have a great future. jon: i mean to be fair, a couple of the incidents were fuel leaks, fuel, 40 gallons of fuel in one case. >> that's right. jon: that poured out onto a runaway. in the scope of things that is a pretty minor incident. >> it is a minor incident. where the attention will be focused is on the extensive use of lithium eye on batteries to help charge and

run the aircraft. the these batteries can be troublesome. the ntsb is investigating the issue. in boston, and i think the faa is going to take a hard look at the certification process that went through it. so i mean i think, i think it's a good plane. it is a revolutionary design. i think they're going to come through this just fine. jon: i'm looking to fly on one too. peter goelz, thanks for sharing your expertise. >> thank you. jenna: reaction pouring into the president's gun violence announcement a few minutes ago. florida senator marco rubio out saying the president is abusing his power by using this executive fiat. that is what marco rubio is saying. some more on his reaction and the reaction from washington, d.c. and beyond in just a moment.